Combined bill and letter file and perforating



(No Model.)

' J. W. GRANTLAND. COMBINED BILL AND LETTER FILE AND PERFORATING APPLIANCE.

No. 488,939. Patented Dec. 27, I892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WV. GRANTLAND, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ARTHUR J. INGRAHAM AND WILLIAM L. BOGGS, OF SAME PLACE.

COMBINED BILL AND LETTER FILE AND PERFORATING APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,939, dated December 27, 1892.

Application filed October 15, 1892. Serial No. 448,935- (No model.)

T0 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Joint W. GRANTLAND, a citizen of the United States. residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Bill and Letter File and Perforating Appliance, of which the following is a specification.

The principal objects of my present invention are first, to provide a simple, efficient and inexpensive bill and letter file and perforating appliance; second,to provide abill and letter file having the transfer wires thereof controlled by a lever accessible from the exterior of the housing concealing the working parts of the appliance; third, to provide a bill and letter file and perforating appliance with receiving pins, transfer wires and a chamber for the reception of the working parts and with a cover adapted for application to the chamber having openings therein forming guides for the transfer wires and others for the punches of the perforating device; and

fourth, to provide a bill and letter file with a swinging perforating device having punches and spring strippers therefor.

My invention consists of a bill and letter file provided with a chamber havinga detach? able cover provided with openings forming guides for transfer wires connected with crank-arms linked to each other and suitably mounted in the chamber and the transfer wires operated from the outside of the chamber by means of a lever connected with one of said crank-arms.

My invention further consists of a bill and letter file provided with transfer wires connected with spring controlled crank-arms linked together in a chamber provided with a detachable cover and having a lever connected with one of the crank-arms and operated from the outside wall of the chamber formed integral with the base-plate provided with receiving pins adapted to be engaged by the transfer-wires.

My invention further consists of a combined bill and letter file and perforating device provided with abaseplate havinga chamber and a detachable cover having openings therein forming guides for transfer wires and a swinging perforating device provided with punches and spring strippers and the transfer wires connected with crankarmslinked together in the chamber and operated from the outside through the slotted wall of the chamber by means of a lever connected with one of the crank-arms.

Myinventionfurtherconsistsoftheimprovements hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature, scope and general characteristic features of myinvent-ion will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof; and in which Figure 1, is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of a bill and letter file and perforating device embodying features of my invention with aportion of the housing concealing the working parts removed in order to expose to view the means for actuating the transfer wires. Fig. 2, is an end elevation of Fig. 1, showing one of the-transfer wires in a closed position; and Fig.3,is atransverse section on the line 3--3, of Fig. 1.

In the drawings a, is the base-plate adapted for attachment to a panel, table or other article and provided at the rear portion thereof with a vertical flange a, forming the wall of a chamber a 1) and b, are receiving pins projecting upward from the front portion of the base-plate a, and provided respectively with sockets b and 12 for the reception of the pointed ends of the curved transfer wires 0 and a.

a is acover detachably connected with the wall a, by means of a screw a. Adjacent to the front wall of the chamber a and formed preferably integral with the base-plate a, are trunnions a and a. These trunnions are adapted to receive the journals d and d, of a perforating device D, provided at its free extremity with punches d and (1 This perforating device is normally held in a raised position by means of a spring 01 suitably secured to position in connection with the cover a3, by means of the screw (i and extending along and projecting outward so as to terminate in eyes forming strippers d and d", as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These strippers as so constructed are adapted to free the punches d and d when the pressure exerted by hand on the perforating device is released to permit the latter to assume its normal inoperative or raised position ready to receive a document beneath the punches d and d thereof, when pressure is manually exerted thereon for perforating the same and affording the removed parts an opportunity to be conducted through the openings at and a formed in the rear portion of the cover a The cover a is provided with openings 0: and a, which form guides for the vertical shanks of the curved transfer wires 0 and c.

f and f, are crank-arms located in the chamber of, and provided with offsetsf form-' ing bearings which are pivotally supportedin seats a and 0, provided in the base-plate a, to receive them. The lower extremities of the shanks of the curved transfer wires 0 and c, passing through the openings at and a in the cover of, fit snugly into suitablevaper- .turesin th6CIa1ll(-2tllT1Sf2tl1d f, as fully illustrated in Fig. 3. This arrangement furnishes certain of the means whereby the curved portions of the transfer-Wires c and c, are affordeda range of rotary motion on or about the axes of their shanks.

s, is a suitable form of spring device centrally or otherwise supported in and against the internal wall of the chamber a andadaptedto engage with theedges or surfaces of the crank-armsfand f, in the manner, for instance, illustrated in Fig. 1. These crankarmsf and f,vare arranged for operation so that the transfer wires oand cf, cannot collide with each other. These crank-arms are connected with each other-bymeansofa rod g, and one of these arms is provided with a lever .h, preferably formed integral therewith and extending therefrom through a recess a, formed in the end wall of the chamber (L This lever h, is afforded as thus arranged a .range of movementin a curved line or in the ,arc of a circle in the recess a ,.in order .to ,permit the transfer wires 0 and of, to have a range of rotary movement on or about the axes of their vertical shanks as hereinbefore explained.

Preparatory to filinga paper it is perfotratedby inserting one of its end portions between the spring strippers d and dfland the punches d and d of the swinging perforatingdevice D, and the cover a whereupon the former .is depressed to cause the punches thereof to puncture two holes inthe paper for the reception of the receivingpins b and b. It should be borne in mind that the spring .strippers d and d", serve to automatically re- .move the perforated paper .from thepunches d and d without danger of tearing or mutilating the same. The operating lever h, is then actuated manually to cause the transfer wires 0 and c, to be turned inward toward each other and out of engagement with the receiving pins 1) and b, and the spring device 3, serves to maintain the transfer wires in such assumed position. The paper is then pins through the holes previously formed in the paper by means of the swinging perforating device D, and its accessories. The lever h, is then turned in a reverse direction to cause the transfer wiresc and c, to be turned into contact with the receiving pins 1) and b, and the spring device 3, engaging with or hugging against the wall of the stud or screw bearing of, for the cover a maintains the parts in such assumed position, so that all the papers on the file may be transferred to the wires 0 and c, in order to facilitate the filing of additional papers in regular order and also topermit of a separate examination of any of the papers on the file.

It may be remarked that the hereinabove explained bill and letter file and perforating device possesses many advantageous features, for example, it is self contained, that is, all the parts are connected with and carried by the base-plate and all danger of injury to the hands by accidental contact with the points of the transfer wires isobviated, because the points are turned inward out of the way,-during theperforating operation, and are shifted by means of the lever h, as has been hereinbefore explained. Moreover, the cover of-the chamber (1 containing the working parts of the device not only serves to conceal the several parts from View, but also acts as a guide for the vertical shanks of thetransfer-wires.

Thedevice arrangedin the mannerdescribed is notonly very compact but the cost of production is materiallylessened as well as greatly simplified; and moreover,itheappliance can be handled by .the'most inexperiencedperson with ease and satisfactory results.

Having-thus described the nature andobjectsof my invention, what I claim asnew mounted in a chamber provided with a detachable cover having openings therein forming guides for the shanksof said'transfer-wires, a link connecting the crank-arms, and one of said crank-armsprovided with a lever-operated from the outside of the chamber-for actuating said transfer-wires, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

3. In a bill and letter file, transfer-wires connected with crank-arms seated inthe base plate of.a chamber, a link for connecting the crank-arms witheach other and one of said crank-arms provided with a lever operated IIO from the outside of the chamber for actuating the transfer-wires, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. A bill and letter file and perforating device provided with a base-plate having receiving pins, a chamber with a detachable cover having openings therein, transfer-wires journaled to crank arms mounted in said chamber and operated by a lever connected with one of said arms, and a swinging perforating device provided with punches and spring strippers, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. A bill and letter file and perforating device provided with receiving pins, transferwires connected with combined crank-arms mounted in a chamber and provided with a lever operated from the outside thereof, and a spring controlled swinging perforating device provided With punches and strippers, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a bill and letter file and perforating device transfer wires connected with combined crank'arms journaled in a detachable covered chamber and operated by means of a lever connected with one of said arms and a spring controlled perforating device having punches and strippers, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. A bill and letter file comprising a baseplate provided with a chamber having a detachable cover with openings therein, transfer-Wires connected with crank-arms linked together and pivotally supported in said chamher, a lever connected with one of said crankarms and operated from the outside of said chamber, and a spring device suitably connected with said crank-arms, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. A bill and letter file and perforating device comprising a base-plate provided with receiving pins, a chamber having a detachable cover with guide and punch apertures therein, transferqvires connected with combined crank-arms pivotally supported in said chamber and one of said arms provided with a lever operated from the outside of said chamber and a spring controlled swinging perforating device provided with punches and spring-strippers,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. In a bill and letter file, transfer Wires connected with combined crank-arms mounted in a chamber provided with a detachable cover having apertures therein and one of said arms provided with a lever, and a spring device connected with said crank-arms, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN W. GRANTLAND.

Witnesses:

LAWRENCE BUR, THOMAS M. SMITH. 

